Mykonos has one of Greece's hottest dining scenes — Nobu arrived from Tokyo, Scorpios serves hours-long Mediterranean feasts at sunset, and Spilia sits inside a literal seaside cave. But the island also guards its soul in classic Greek tavernas: off-grid Kiki's grilling over charcoal above a wild beach, Kounelas weighing your fish since 1956, and family kitchens baking their own bread. Here are 10 of the island's best tables — fine-dining icons, beach clubs, seafood specialists and honest tavernas — with prices, areas and booking advice. Reserve well ahead in July and August, when the whole island books out.
€€€€Nobu Mykonos
Area
Belvedere Hotel, Chora
Type
Japanese-Peruvian
“The Belvedere Hotel's outpost of Robert De Niro's Nobu empire — black cod miso, yellowtail jalapeño and the sashimi tasting. Book two weeks ahead.”
€€€€Scorpios
Area
Paraga Beach
Type
Mediterranean / Beach Club
“The island's cult beach club — the 19:30 sunset ritual is an experience in itself. Book a table on the sand two months ahead; table service is compulsory.”
€€€€Spilia Seaside Restaurant
Area
Agia Anna (15 min)
Type
Greek Seafood / Cave
“A literal cave carved into the seaside rock — sea urchin from its own pool and lobster on the menu. Book three weeks ahead, for lunch or sunset.”
€€Kiki's Taverna
Area
Agios Sostis
Type
Greek Grill
“No electricity, no reservations — arrive at noon to join the queue (expect a 1–2 hour wait). Charcoal-grilled fish and vegetables. A classic Mykonos institution since the 1960s.”
€€€Kounelas Fish Tavern
Area
Chora
Type
Seafood Taverna
“Mykonos's oldest fish taverna, since 1956 — point at the fish in the window, and it's weighed and grilled. Classic Greek service, no menu. Tables from 19:30.”
€€€M-eating
Area
Chora
Type
Modern Greek Fine Dining
“Chef Pantelis Magoulas's modern-Greek restaurant — eight years running in the 'good cooking' category of the Greek Michelin guide. Book two weeks ahead.”
€€€Funky Kitchen
Area
Chora
Type
Modern Mediterranean
“A local favourite in Chora — modern Greek-Mediterranean fusion with a creative menu that changes monthly, plus excellent cocktails. Book a week ahead.”
€€Fokos Taverna
Area
Fokos Beach (north)
Type
Greek Beach Taverna
“A remote beach 25 minutes from Chora via a 4WD track — a taverna right on the sand, serving the day's fish and local wine. Lunch from 13:30, no electricity, cash only.”
€€Joanna's Niko's Place
Area
Megali Ammos
Type
Greek Taverna
“Family-run since 1976 — country bread from its own oven, local goat's cheese and the day's catch. Five minutes from Chora, right on the beach. Book at weekends.”
€€€Little Venice Restaurant
Area
Little Venice
Type
Mediterranean / Sunset
“Tables right on the waves in Little Venice — sunset seating from 19:00 (book a week ahead). Touristy, yes, but the location, with the Kato Mili windmills in view, is unbeatable.”
Mykonos restaurants in detail
1.Nobu Mykonos
Nobu Mykonos is the island's outpost of Robert De Niro and chef Nobu Matsuhisa's globe-spanning Japanese-Peruvian empire, set within the stylish Belvedere Hotel on the upper edge of Chora. The menu delivers the signatures that made Nobu famous — black cod marinated in miso, yellowtail sashimi with jalapeño, rock-shrimp tempura, the new-style sashimi and a generous omakase tasting — executed with the precision and polish you would expect anywhere in the Nobu family, and served on a terrace with views over Mykonos Town and the sea. It is expensive (budget around €180 per person with drinks) and firmly a special-occasion choice rather than a casual meal, but the quality is reliably high and the setting glamorous. Reservations are essential and should be made at least two weeks ahead in July and August, when the island's dinner tables are booked solid. Pair it with a sunset cocktail in Little Venice beforehand for a full night of Mykonian gloss. For polished, internationally recognised fine dining with a sea view, Nobu is one of the island's safest bets.
Hours
Dinner nightly in season; reserve ahead
Price
~€180 per person
Getting there
Inside the Belvedere Hotel on the edge of Chora, a short walk from Little Venice
Insider tip: The Belvedere Hotel's outpost of Robert De Niro's Nobu empire — black cod miso, yellowtail jalapeño and the sashimi tasting. Book two weeks ahead.
2.Scorpios
Scorpios is Mykonos's cult beach club, a boho-luxe institution perched on the rocks above Paraga Beach that has become a template for the modern Mediterranean day-to-night destination. The kitchen turns out sharing-style Mediterranean plates — grilled fish and vegetables, mezze, slow-cooked meats — served at communal wooden tables under driftwood and linen, but the food is only half the story. Scorpios is really about the ritual: DJs building the mood through the afternoon, a barefoot, white-and-boho-clad crowd, and a celebrated sunset ceremony around 19:30 that draws everyone to the terrace as the light fades and the music swells. It runs seamlessly from lunch into a late, dancing night. Budget around €250 per person with drinks, and note that table service is compulsory and tables on the sand should be booked up to two months in advance in peak season. It is expensive, seductive and quintessentially Mykonos — less a restaurant than a whole evening's entertainment. For the island's signature blend of good food, great music and golden-hour theatre, Scorpios is unmissable.
Hours
Daily from midday to late in season
Price
~€250 per person with drinks
Getting there
On Paraga Beach, about 15 minutes from Chora by car or water taxi
Insider tip: The island's cult beach club — the 19:30 sunset ritual is an experience in itself. Book a table on the sand two months ahead; table service is compulsory.
3.Spilia Seaside Restaurant
Spilia Seaside Restaurant is one of the most dramatic dining rooms in Greece — literally carved into a natural cave in the seaside rock at Agia Anna, with tables set so close to the Aegean that the water laps at your feet. The concept is pure sea-to-table theatre: much of the seafood is pulled straight from the restaurant's own rock pool, including sea urchin cracked open in front of you, alongside lobster, fresh fish, octopus and Greek mezze. The setting — stone walls, natural light filtering in, the sound of the waves — makes it feel like eating inside the island itself, and it is a favourite for a memorable lunch or a sunset dinner rather than a quick bite. Budget around €110 per person, and book at least three weeks ahead in high season, as its limited, unforgettable tables fill fast. It sits near Kalafatis on the southeast coast, about 15 minutes from Chora. For pristine seafood in a genuinely one-of-a-kind natural setting, Spilia is one of the island's most special and atmospheric tables.
Hours
Lunch and dinner in season; reserve well ahead
Price
~€110 per person
Getting there
At Agia Anna, near Kalafatis on the southeast coast, about 15 minutes from Chora
Insider tip: A literal cave carved into the seaside rock — sea urchin from its own pool and lobster on the menu. Book three weeks ahead, for lunch or sunset.
4.Kiki's Taverna
Kiki's Taverna is the most famous of Mykonos's off-grid tavernas — a small, vine-shaded terrace above the remote northern beach of Agios Sostis, running with no electricity at all since it opened back in the 1960s. Everything comes off a charcoal grill: fresh fish, pork chops, chicken, and a spread of salads and grilled vegetables, all cooked over coals and served with local wine in a genuinely timeless, unhurried setting. There is no phone, no reservations and no way to book — you simply arrive around noon, put your name down, and wait, often one to two hours, with a glass of wine and the sea for company. That wait has become part of the legend, and the food more than justifies it: simple, generous, sun-warmed cooking at its best, for around €45 a head (bring cash). It is reached via the north-coast road, which ends a short walk from the sand. For an authentic, gloriously analogue taste of old Mykonos — a plate of grilled fish, a carafe of wine and no rush whatsoever — Kiki's is the island's most beloved table.
Hours
Lunch only, in season; no reservations
Price
~€45 per person; cash preferred
Getting there
Above Agios Sostis beach on the north coast; the nearest road ends a short walk away
Insider tip: No electricity, no reservations — arrive at noon to join the queue (expect a 1–2 hour wait). Charcoal-grilled fish and vegetables. A classic Mykonos institution since the 1960s.
5.Kounelas Fish Tavern
Kounelas Fish Tavern is Mykonos's oldest seafood taverna, serving the island since 1956 from a courtyard tucked into the back lanes of Chora. It works the traditional way: there is no printed menu to speak of — instead you go to the display of the day's catch, point at the fish you want, and it is weighed, priced, and grilled or fried to order, arriving simply dressed with olive oil, lemon and herbs. Alongside the fresh fish come classic Greek starters — taramosalata, grilled octopus, fried calamari, Greek salad, local cheeses — and honest house wine, all delivered with the brisk, warm service of a family taverna that has seen every kind of guest over seven decades. Budget around €60 per person depending on your fish. Tables start filling from about 19:30, and a reservation is wise in peak season. In a town increasingly given over to glossy fusion and beach-club prices, Kounelas is a reassuringly old-school, proudly Greek institution — the place to eat pristine grilled fish the way islanders have always eaten it, in an atmospheric courtyard in the heart of Chora.
Hours
Dinner from ~19:30 in season
Price
~€60 per person
Getting there
In the back lanes of Chora, a short walk from the Old Port
Insider tip: Mykonos's oldest fish taverna, since 1956 — point at the fish in the window, and it's weighed and grilled. Classic Greek service, no menu. Tables from 19:30.
6.M-eating
M-eating is one of Chora's most respected fine-dining rooms, the personal project of chef Pantelis Magoulas, who has spent years reimagining traditional Greek dishes through a modern, produce-led lens. The kitchen champions top Greek ingredients — Mykonian cheeses, Aegean seafood, Greek beef and heirloom vegetables — and turns them into elegant, contemporary plates that stay recognisably rooted in Greek flavour rather than chasing international trends. The result has earned it a place for eight consecutive years in the 'good cooking' category of the Greek Michelin guide, and a loyal following among visitors who want serious cooking without the theatre of a beach club. The setting is an intimate, romantically lit courtyard-and-terrace space in central Chora, warm and unhurried, with attentive service and a strong Greek wine list. Budget around €80 per person, and book about two weeks ahead in high season, as its tables are among the most sought-after in town. For refined, confident modern Greek cuisine in an atmospheric Chora setting — the antithesis of the loud, pricey beach scene — M-eating is one of the island's most rewarding tables.
Hours
Dinner nightly in season; reserve ahead
Price
~€80 per person
Getting there
In central Chora, on the Kalogera lane a few minutes from the main square
Insider tip: Chef Pantelis Magoulas's modern-Greek restaurant — eight years running in the 'good cooking' category of the Greek Michelin guide. Book two weeks ahead.
7.Funky Kitchen
Funky Kitchen is a favourite of clued-up locals and returning visitors, tucked into the lanes of central Chora and offering a more inventive, contemporary alternative to the island's grilled-fish tavernas and glossy beach clubs. The cooking is modern Greek-Mediterranean fusion, built on seasonal produce and a genuinely creative approach — the menu changes roughly monthly, so regulars come back to see what the kitchen is doing next, whether that's a reworked classic, a clever seafood plate or a vegetable dish given real thought. It is also known for excellent cocktails, which makes it as good for an early drink and a few small plates as for a full dinner. The atmosphere is stylish but relaxed and intimate, without the price-gouging or attitude of the flashier venues, and it draws a mixed, in-the-know crowd rather than a see-and-be-seen scene. Budget around €65 per person, and book about a week ahead in high season. For creative, well-executed modern cooking and a good drink in the heart of Chora — at prices that feel fair for Mykonos — Funky Kitchen is a reliably satisfying choice.
Hours
Dinner nightly in season; reserve ahead
Price
~€65 per person
Getting there
In the lanes of central Chora, a short walk from Matogianni Street
Insider tip: A local favourite in Chora — modern Greek-Mediterranean fusion with a creative menu that changes monthly, plus excellent cocktails. Book a week ahead.
8.Fokos Taverna
Fokos Taverna sits on one of the wildest, most remote beaches on Mykonos — Fokos, on the exposed north coast, reached only by a rough unpaved track about 25 minutes from Chora that really wants a 4WD or ATV. The reward for the effort is a gloriously simple taverna set right on the sand, with no electricity and no pretension, cooking a short menu of whatever is fresh: the day's grilled fish, slow-cooked meats, garden vegetables, homemade dips and salads, all paired with local wine and served to the sound of the waves. It is the antithesis of the beach-club scene — no DJ, no bottle service, just honest Greek cooking, a handful of tables and an empty beach. Lunch starts around 13:30, prices run about €50 per person, and it is cash only, so come prepared. Because of its isolation, it never feels crowded even in August, which is precisely the point. For travellers who want to escape the island's glamour and find the wild, quiet Mykonos of an earlier era, a long lazy lunch at Fokos is one of the most memorable meals on the island.
Hours
Lunch and early dinner in season; cash only
Price
~€50 per person
Getting there
On Fokos Beach on the remote north coast; a 4WD or ATV is needed for the final track
Insider tip: A remote beach 25 minutes from Chora via a 4WD track — a taverna right on the sand, serving the day's fish and local wine. Lunch from 13:30, no electricity, cash only.
9.Joanna's Niko's Place
Joanna's Niko's Place is a much-loved family-run taverna on Megali Ammos beach, just a five-minute walk south of Chora — close enough to be easy, far enough to feel like a genuine local spot rather than a tourist trap. Run by the same family since 1976, it does the simple things beautifully: country bread baked in its own oven, local Mykonian goat's cheese, the day's fresh catch from the grill, classic Greek salads, dips and slow-cooked dishes, all served on a terrace right above the sand with the sea and the sunset in front of you. The atmosphere is warm, unpretentious and thoroughly Greek, the kind of place where the owners remember returning guests and the pace is relaxed. Prices are reasonable by Mykonos standards (around €50 per person), and the beachfront setting makes it a lovely spot for a long lunch or a sunset dinner. Book ahead at weekends and in peak season, as its tables fill with a mix of locals and clued-up visitors. For honest home cooking, homemade bread and a beach-side sunset a short stroll from town, it is one of the island's most dependable pleasures.
Hours
Lunch and dinner in season
Price
~€50 per person
Getting there
On Megali Ammos beach, about 5 minutes' walk south of Chora
Insider tip: Family-run since 1976 — country bread from its own oven, local goat's cheese and the day's catch. Five minutes from Chora, right on the beach. Book at weekends.
10.Little Venice Restaurant
Little Venice Restaurant occupies one of the most coveted positions on Mykonos — tables set right on the waterline along the famous Little Venice waterfront, so close to the sea that the waves lap beneath your feet and, on a breezy evening, spray up over the edge. The draw here is unashamedly the setting: as the sun sinks behind Delos in the distance, the Kato Mili windmills are thrown into silhouette on the hill above and the whole shoreline glows, making the sunset seating (from around 19:00) some of the most romantic in the Cyclades. The menu is classic Mediterranean and Greek — fresh fish, seafood pasta, mezze, grilled meats and Greek salads — competent and enjoyable rather than groundbreaking, at around €70 per person. It is, frankly, a touristy spot, but few tables anywhere in Greece can match the view, and that is precisely what you are paying for. Book about a week ahead for a sunset table in high season. For a special-occasion dinner where the location does the heavy lifting — waves, windmills and a golden Aegean sunset — it delivers exactly what it promises.
Hours
Lunch and dinner in season; reserve for sunset
Price
~€70 per person
Getting there
On the Little Venice waterfront in Chora
Insider tip: Tables right on the waves in Little Venice — sunset seating from 19:00 (book a week ahead). Touristy, yes, but the location, with the Kato Mili windmills in view, is unbeatable.